• Turkana, West Pokot governors say flooding expected, water just two metres below top of dam as rains persist. Not prepared, no contingency plans.
• Lodwar town at risk since Turkwel River cuts across the town. "I don't want to imagine the damage if dam bursts," Nanok said.
More than 300,000 people will be displaced and Lodwar town endangered as Turkwel dam is likely to spill over due to heavy rains.
Turkana and West Pokot leaders said their counties are not prepared to deal with the crisis of flooding, displacement and property damage.
They urged residents living downstream to move to higher ground.
The 35-year-old dam has never overflowed before. The water is now only about two metres below the top of the dam.
Speaking after visiting the dam, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok and West Pokot Governor John Longyangapuo said their counties were unprepared for a flooding disaster.
“The biggest issue is preparedness in case of spillage since the dam was constructed long ago and we don’t know the contingency plan,” Nanok said.
He said they don’t know the areas that would be flooded and urged the national government to come up with a plan to handle flooding and displacement.
“We should not wait until the water is a metre below the top of the dam. This is the first time the dam is expected to spill over and we don’t know the villages that will be flooded,” the governor said.
“Lodwar town is at risk since the Turkwel River cuts across the town. I don’t want to imagine the damage if the dam bursts,” Nanok said.
He said infrastructure in Turkana county would be damaged by flooding and 50 per cent of irrigation schemes depend on River Turkwel.
The county boss urged the Devolution ministry to urgently send a technical team to prepare contingency plans before it’s too late.
“We don’t want to be like Tana River where they were late in preparing for dam spillage and residents were forced to flee Garissa town with just three days’ notice,” he said.
Nanok said only six metres remain before the dam spills over.
“I raised this issue in May when water was 10 metres below the top. At the rate we are receiving rain, the dam might spill over at any time."
Governor Lonyangapuo urged the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) management to urgently call a stakeholders’ meeting to address the crisis.
“We are assessing how it will affect those living downstream. There are many villages near the dam and we don’t want anybody to be affected,” he said.
West Pokot county commissioner Apollo Okello said officials agreed with KVDA to monitor water levels daily so they can alert people to the worsening danger.
We should not wait to move until the water only has to rise two more metres. We expect damage and we should not wait.Turkana commissioner Muthama Wambua
“We are on high alert. We shall be relaying information to residents before the dam bursts,” he said.
He said the probability of spillage is very high and residents living nearby should relocate to safer areas.
Turkana county commissioner Muthama Wambua said officials will decide how to handle emergencies and help displaced people.
Water Resources Authority regional manager David Mumo Musyoki urged stakeholders to sensitise those living downstream to the danger.
“We should not wait to move until the water only has to rise two more metres,” he said. “We expect damage and we should not wait.”
(Edited by V. Graham)